Salivary testosterone is related to self-selected training load in elite female athletes

• Relative testosterone levels were related to voluntarily selected training workload.
• Testosterone may predict training motivation and indicate readiness to perform.
• Testosterone may influence adaptation independently of direct physiological effects.

BackgroundTestosterone has been related to improved acute neuromuscular performance in athletic populations. It is our contention that testosterone may also contribute to improved volitional motivation and, when monitored longitudinally, may provide one proxy marker for readiness to perform.MethodsTwelve female netball players provided saliva samples prior to five standardized training sessions in which they completed a maximal-distance medicine ball throw, and then 3 sets of bench press and then back squat using a self-selected load perceived to equal a 3-repetition maximum load. Additional repetitions were encouraged when possible and total voluntary workload was calculated from the product of the load lifted and repetitions performed.ResultsRelative salivary testosterone levels as a group were correlated with bench press (r = 0.8399; p = 0.0007) and squat (r = 0.6703; p = 0.0171) self-selected workload, as well as maximal medicine ball throw performance (r = 0.7062; p = 0.0103).ConclusionsIndividual salivary testosterone, when viewed relatively over time, demonstrated strong relationships with self-selected workloads during an in-season training period in female netball players. As such, daily variations in testosterone may provide information regarding voluntary training motivation and readiness to perform in elite athletic populations. Psychological and behavioral aspects of testosterone may have the potential to enhance training adaptation by complementing the known anabolic and permissive properties of testosterone.